Railway-signal



R. 8. LA MERE.

RAILWAY SIGNAL.

APPLICATION FILED 050.29.1919.

Patented Aug. 17, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET e w w m .J 44 N W m W R. S. LA MERE.

RAILWAY SIGNAL- APPLICATION FILED DEC. 29, 1919.

Patented Aug. 17, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED sTArss PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERTS. LA MERE, OF DRESSER JUNCTION, WISCONSIN.

RAILWAY-SIGNAL.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented A g. 17 1920 Application filed December 29. 1919. Serial No. 347,907.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT S. LA MERE, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Dresser Junctiomin the county of Polk and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Signals, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates generally to signals and more particularly to railway crossing signals, my object being the provision of a mechanical train actuated signal for highways which will be unfailing and efiicient in its operation towarn of the approach of trains.

A further object is the provision of a signal which will be set by the approach of a train and which. will. be released by the train only after its passage across the high we i K still further object is the provision of an arrangement which will eliminate electrieal and other connections likely to fail in warning under adverse weather conditions, and whose nature is such that it may be readily maintained in effectively operating condition at all times.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate the best mode I have so far devised for carrying out the invention,

Figure 1 is an elevation illustrating the practical application of my invention, 1

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the train actuated signal setting arrangement,

Fig. 3 is a similar view of the train actuated signal releasing mechanism, and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical section through the signal post andsignal mecha nism supported thereby.

Referring now to these figures and particularly to Figs. 1 and 4 my invention proposes the use of an upright signal post 10 on highways at or adjacent to railway crossings, provided at a pointsuitably elevated above the highway surface with a pair of laterally extending downwardly inclined boxes 11 which open upwardly toreceive a pair of signal arms 12 in their lower inactive positions whereby to conceal the same.

As seen particularly in Fig. 4, the post 10 has a vertical axial opening communicating at its upper end with slotted side openings in which the inner portions of the signal arms 12 are pivoted at 13, these arms being simultaneously swingable upon their pivots from the upper active position of Fig. 1.

to the lower inactive position of Fig. 4; by virtue of their pivotal connection at their extreme inner ends with the upper end of a signal rod 14. I

The rod 1 1 depends through the axial opening 15 of the post and into the lower enlarged base or foundation 16, in which the signal rod shifting parts are located. In this lower enlarged base of the post the lower end of the signal rod 14: has a roller 17 at its lower extremity engaging a clover shaped cam 18 at one side of an. enlarged gear wheel 19 and rotatable therewitlu This cam has at the extremity at each of its pro jections a concave seat 20 in which the roller 17 is engaged when the rod 14 is in its lowermost position and the signal arms 12 are in active position as in Fig. 1.

The gear wheel 19 with its cam 18 is mounted upon a shaft 21. which also forms the fulcrum of a pair of operating levers 22 and 23, each having adj acent to one end a spring controlled dog 24 in engagement with the teeth of gear wheel 19. By reference to Fig. 4L particularly, it will be noted that the dogs 241 of the two levers engage the gear wheel at relatively opposite sides thereof to shift the gear in the same direction, and that the opposite ends of the two levers 22 and. 23are pivotally connected to the upper ends of vertical connecting rods 25 and 26 so that when the rod 25 for instance is lowered from the position shown in Fig. 4: the gear wheel 19 will be rotated in the direction of the arrow by virtue of the rocking of lever 22 on its fulcrum. During the rotation of the gear wheel with its cam 18, the latter will force the roller.

carrying the lower end of the signal rod 14 downwardly until it comes torest in the adjacent concave seat 20 of the cam at the end of the operative stroke of lever 22 and it will be observed that when the connecting rod 2-5 13 released the lever 22 returns to the position of Fig. 41, the dog 24 of the other le- 'vcr 23 will act to avoid movement of the gear wheel in the opposite direction. lVhen this movement has taken place the signal arms 12 will be elevated in the active position shown in Fig. 1, exposed to view on the highway. above the boxes 11. When, subsequent to the foregoing movement, the connecting rod 26 is elevated, lever 23 will beroeked on its fulcrum and a secondpartial rotative movement will be imparted to the gear wheel 19 in the same direction,

shifting roller 17 out of the concave seatit formerly occupied so that the rod 14 will move upwardly by the weight of the signal arms 12 as the roller 17 shifts to a position between two of the cam projections. It is obvious'that when the rod 26 isreleased, the d0g24t of lever 22 will act to prevent rotation of the gear wheel in areverse direc tion as lever 23 shifts back to its normal position shown in Fi 4.

Referring now to 1* ig. 2, the vertical connecting rod 25 depends from the lever 22 and is connected at its lower end to one arm of a bell crank lever 27, the other arm of which is connected to a horizontal connecting rod 28 which passes along one side of the track rails 29 and is pivotally connected at its outer end to a second bell crank lever 30.

This bell crank lever 30 is connected by a rod 31 with a laterally'yieldable actuating bar 32 disposed alon the mner face of one of the track ralls and provided with bent ends 33 turned away from the rail. Bar

, is yieldingly held by spring 3% and is thus shiftable by the flange of at ca r wheel to rock the bell crank 30 and, through the connect ing rod 28 also rock the bell crank 27 in order to effect downward movement of the vertical connecting rod 25, bar 32 being greater in length than the space-between the car wheels of a train.

' By reference to Fig.3 it will be noted that the apparatus of Fig. 2 is duplicated upon the .opposite side of the highway crossing, vertical connecting rod 26 of the lever 22 being connected to a bell crank 35 and, through connecting rod 36 to a second bell crank 37,=the latter of which is connected by a rod'38 to a .yieldable rail carried actuating *bar 89similarly constructed and mounted as previously described .with respect to the bar '32. t

In this way folloi'ving the description the operation previously given it is obvious the signal-can be set by the approach of a train in either direction and that my inventlon thus readily lends itself to single or double tracksystems and operates to positively set and release the signal arms when the train respectively approaches the crossing and after it has passed over a crossing.

'It will also be noted that the structure described both-as to primary mo able parts and their connections, readily lends itself to the incasing or boxing of these parts and connections in order to entirely avoid danger of their improper operation or of their being adversely effected by weather conditions or other exterior influences.

As'will beseen n Figs. 2 and 3 the horizontal connecting rods preferably have springs 4clwhich supplement the action of the springs of actuating bars so that when a train has passed, during which the respective vertical bar is drawn downward, the springs will act to elevate the vertical connecting bar and return respectively the gear actuating lever to normal position.

I claim:

l. A railway crossing signal including track carried actuating devices, a signal post, a signal arm, a signal rod movable vcriically in the post and connected to said arm, a gear wheel having a cam controlling move ment of said rod, a pair of levers fnlcrumcd at the center of said gear wheel and provided at one end with spring controlled dogs cngaging the gear wheel at oppositc sides thereof to rotate the same in similar directions, and connecting rods leading from the actuating devices to said levers for moving the latter.

2. A railway crossing signal includingtrack carried actuating devices, a signal post, asignal arm, a signal rod movable vcriically in the post and connected to said arm, a gear wheel having av cam controlling mov' ment of said rod, a pair of levers 'i'uh'runicd at the center of said gear wheel and providcd at one end with spring controlled dogs en gaging the gear wheel at opposite sides thereof to rotate the same in similar directions, and connecting rods leading from the actuating devices to said levers for moving the latter, said cam having projections provided with concave seats at their ends, and said signal rod having a cam engaging roller seated in one of said seats when the signal arm is in active position. i 7

3. A railway crossing signal including track carried actuating devices, a signal post, a signal arm, a signal rod movable. rcrtically in the post and conncctei'i to said rm, a gear whe'el having a ment of said red, a pair of levers 'flllk'liiillLKl at the center of said gear wheel and provided at one end with spring controllcd dogs cngaging the gear wheel at opposite sides thereof to rotate the same in similar iii'cc tions, and connecting rods leading from the actuating devices to said levers for moving the latter, said post having a vertical opcning for the signal rod and an enlarged base housing the gear wheel and its operating parts.

at. A railway crossing signal including a vertically movable signal arm, a signal post carrying the arm, a signal rod connected to the arm, a rotating member for controlling movement of said rod by its rotation continuously in one direction, a pair of levers having dogs for engaging and rotating said ROBERT S. LA MERE.

cam controlling move- 

